To hundreds of thousands of men and women across this country the fourth of July is the paramount celebration of independence for the world over. I am proud to say I fall in this last category and I hope that those in this country, in England, in France, and in other such places who protest our establishment of freedom, would at least recognize the fact that they are able to despise its existence because someone, somewhere cared enough to fight and die for their right to do so.
In today's modern society, the fight for freedom has come under attack from not only radicals, but from sources that Jefferson, Lincoln, and even Ronald Reagan would not have thought. Indeed this advisory is not a red faced, pitchfork wielding demon whose intent is iniquity and destruction. Rather his face is seen daily in the market places, in the highways, in the byways, as we walk the street, and go about our lives.
This enemy has been evidenced throughout the annals of time. History – if heard – exhorts that the demise of every society that has fought for individual rights was brought about because the last generation did not understand what they were surrendering. They accepted what was offered or simply raised their hands in defeat because they were unable to grasp the depth and wisdom of the ages gone by. Today, the reason for this inability to hold fast to the doctrine of freedom in this country is not something hidden or shrouded in garbs of deceit; it is blatantly published in books, newspapers, periodicals, and most of all in the hallowed halls of our school houses. Our children, America's future leaders and statesmen, are not being taught the preciousness and frailty of freedom for the individual. We are truly establishing a generation with not personal identity.
Think of it. How many shows today push to be a true individual? How many stories are transcribed and published to reach the masses that instruct in the art of being true to ones own self? In modern thinking individuality is based on the persons ability to look like someone else. Be as thin as the model, as built as the star, or as promiscuous as the singer you dream to become. These are the lessons of personal identity that is being proliferated throughout the minds and hopes of the adolescent generation. Long ago we lost the innocents of our youth to the iniquity of our hearts and have set our future course on a downward spiral to the place of bondage and fear.
So who is this shadowy figure, lurking somewhere in the brightest parts of our land? The sad fact of the matter is that it is not a single person we could point to. If it were then our situation would not be so dire. It is not really a person at all – it is more the lack of something than the interjection of someone's views. Our people and freedom is perishing because there is no vision for them to follow. My people, said God, are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Knowing who your enemies are marks the first stage in the long journey to defeating them. We now know what and who we are dealing with, now we can learn how to fight. Yet this fighting will be done not in some distant field, in some far off land, but in the courts and platforms of our nation. Literally, the most glorious battles waged will be high atop the purple mountains majesties, and in the deepest rows of the amber waves of grain. This will be a grass roots effort, common men standing in the traditions of our founding fathers. Fighting for the freedom that we have come to expect instead of cherish.
Like our gallant men and women who fought in the American Revolution, we must not assume that those who lead will do it all. We must take an active role in the administration of our country. We must keep those whom we chose to govern for our good accountable to people they serve. We must hold moral fiber and personal integrity of greater worth than the ability to bulge our pockets and purses with dollars and cents. We must write letters, hold meetings, and let our voices be heard once again in the halls that we established on our sweat and tears. This is the only way to defeat the enemy of ignorance that plages our land today. We must teach those that are able to learn how important and how precious the freedom that they enjoy is. Beyond this, we must rehearse these teachings. We cannot assume that a monthly talk or yearly celebration will keep in the forefront of their minds the understanding of what true freedom is.
Let us therefore preserve the truth of history for the generations to come. Let us, as the Israelites of old, hang it on our door post, teach of it in our homes, and speak of it as we walk through the journeys of our lives. This is the only way to procure for the future world, that there will always be a shining city set upon a hill. It is not for someone else to do . . . it is not for some other era! This is our moment of glory . . . this is our time . . . we will be the victors! |
